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Tennessee basketball: Vols add graduate transfer guard James Daniel III for 2017-2018

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 9, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee basketball and Rick Barnes added another player for its 2017-2018 team. Graduate transfer guard James Daniel III picked the Volunteers.

Tennessee basketball has a fifth newcomer for its upcoming team. The Vols added James Daniel III, a graduate transfer guard who spent the last four years playing for the Howard Bison.

Daniel, who comes in at 6’0″ 175 pounds, is from Hampton, Va. and picked the Vols over the Ohio State Buckeyes and the DePaul Blue Demons, according to Grant Ramey of GoVols247.

Here’s a quote from Daniel in the GoVols247 article.

"“They showed me a lot. I found out, I didn’t know, that Tennessee was such a historical place, buzzing about its athletics. That’s one thing I really love. I love all the coaches. I love Coach (Rick) Barnes’ charisma, his desire to win. The whole program, the whole school, has that desire to win. That’s one thing that stood out about Tennessee on my visit.”"

Despite his small size, Daniel brings a major scoring punch to the Vols. During the 2015-2016 season he averaged over 27 points a game. Last year, however, he only played two games after being sidelined due to an ankle injury.

A combo guard, Daniel can score and distribute, but his efficiency is an issue. He never shot over 40 percent from the field, and his three-point percentage was suspect.

The one bit of good news is that he did shoot over 33 percent from beyond the arc his final full year of starting at Howard.

So Daniel’s addition along with junior college transfer guard Chris Darrington should make up for the departures of Shembari Phillips and Kwe Parker. They provide the same set of skills with more experience.

The addition of Daniel would also allow Rick Barnes to complete a starting five with just his newcomers. Derrick Walker and Zach Kent are two recruits who make up the inside game, four-star Yves Pons comes in on the wing, and guards Daniel and Darrington round out the backcourt.

With the departures of Phillips, Parker, Robert Hubbs III, and Lew Evans, Barnes has filled out the Tennessee basketball roster as well during this offseason.

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